CHIDA Update

Dr. Wislyn and his wife, Suschana. Suschana is a nurse at CHIDA.

“Community Hospital IDADEE” (CHIDA) opened its doors to the local community back in November of 2017. We are happy to report that it continues to surpass all of our expectations regarding the positive difference it is making in the lives of the people in the community. The Community Health Clinic is seeing an average of sixty-eight patients per day, and we expect this number to grow as word spreads about the quality, affordable, health care that CHIDA is providing.

We now have a team of forty trained professional community health workers that are delivering door-to-door services in the local community. This community health program is so beneficial because health workers can provide preventative care, rather than acute care. Community health workers visit patients at home, perform checkups, and make sure patients are taking their medications before more serious issues arise.

When emergency care is required, patients visit the emergency room at CHIDA. The emergency room facility was initially designed to hold 10-12 beds, but it has been so busy recently that the CHIDA staff has had to create an overflow room to add beds for more patients. In a typical night at the ER, the staff treats seventeen patients.

One of the unique aspects of CHIDA is that one of the four doctors is always physically present at the hospital; this is highly unusual for a facility this size in Haiti. One area of great need that immediately became visible is OBGYN care. It is not uncommon to have multiple deliveries at CHIDA on a given night. Plans to build a delivery room and larger operating room are already in the works. Patients pay a nominal $5 for care at CHIDA, but the staff doesn't turn anyone away if they cannot afford to pay. To date, only 22% of patients have been able to afford the $5 fee. Your financial support of our mission in Haiti continues to be crucial and very appreciated!